North Korean state media on Friday characterised South Korea as a “puppet” following its involvement in a United States-led maritime exercise, asserting that Seoul and Washington must accept responsibility for any “unpredictable escalation” within the region.
The remarks from the state-run news agency, KCNA, follow the conclusion of the Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC) in Hawaii last week. Notably, the South Korean navy commanded the maritime forces for the first time during this year’s iteration, reports Reuters.
Billed as the world’s largest international naval drill, RIMPAC occurs biennially and featured participation from approximately 30 nations this year, including Japan, Australia, and Canada.
KCNA claimed that “South Korean puppet forces” participated as a primary element at a time when “military collusion is becoming increasingly overt”. The agency specifically highlighted the strengthening of military ties between Seoul and Japan, as well as South Korea’s burgeoning relationship with NATO.
This marks the first instance in approximately 15 months that Pyongyang has employed the “puppet” label for Seoul. The term was last used following an April 2025 incident in which gun pods and a fuel tank from a South Korean air force aircraft detached and landed in a mountainous region of Gangwon Province during a training mission.
According to KCNA, RIMPAC was not a “routine drill against a hypothetical adversary” but served as a “war demonstration” by the US and its partners aimed at Indo-Pacific nations.
The agency warned that such actions “shaking the foundation of world peace and security” signal the potential for “unwanted situations” on the Korean Peninsula and the surrounding area.
Pyongyang further condemned a separate joint Marine Corps drill between Washington and Seoul, alleging that a joint air exercise involving the US Navy’s USS Essex simulated “deep infiltration into enemy rear areas”.
These criticisms coincide with North Korea’s efforts to showcase its own naval modernisation programme. Earlier this month, state media reported that leader Kim Jong Un inspected the launch of a strategic cruise missile and observed weapons systems tests on the Kang Kon, a new 5,000-ton destroyer.
